Leaders stepping up in Fort Pierce to foster change

FORT PIERCE — The northwest city is a place where anti-violence initiatives have come and gone through the years.

This year, an outbreak of gunfire — more than 100 documented incidents so far — has especially unnerved residents, making them even more fearful, say police and community members.

Police attribute much of the problem to a minority: gangs and people involved in drugs, especially young males.

Underlying that, say public officials and community leaders, are longstanding socioeconomic factors: poverty, high unemployment and lack of educational aspiration.

In a call to action to change the area's downward spiral, 800 people and an array of representatives of government programs attended an anti-violence community meeting July 31 at Lincoln Park Academy.

On Monday, there's a second meeting there that organizers, including state Rep. Larry Lee, say is aimed at sustaining the momentum for change and expanding public involvement in a community of about 5,000 people.

"It has to start with the grassroots," said city resident Betty Bradwell, who was inspired by the first meeting. She's formed a St. Lucie County Community Mobilization Team of 15 people who will be talking with youths about their problems and trying to engage people in crime-prone neighborhoods in the coming months.

She was involved in a similar anti-crime initiative in the past, but she said this one is much more substantive.

The challenges lie in dealing with socioeconomic factors that have been uniquely defining the northwest city area, and fostering change:

--Lee, ministers and others are aiming to lower that number by encouraging adults and youths to take advantage of existing job assistance programs. In the long-run, Fort Pierce needs to bring in more and better jobs, but there's no plan yet for how to accomplish that.

--The Sheriff's Office and Police Department are looking into helping find jobs for youths coming out of juvenile detention centers or jails.

--People are pointed toward a number of government and nonprofit assistance programs in the Fort Pierce community, including the Boys & Girls Club, Save Our Children, job application training.

MANY SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES

--There are 566 households in Fort Pierce led by women with no male adult on site.

--Lee's message: There doesn't need to be a father and mother living together. It can be a grandmother raising the children. The concern is about having a network of adults — relatives, neighbors and pastors — who are willing to assist in guiding and standing up to children.

--Community organizers are starting to meet with parents and caretakers, advising them of programs that could help them.

--Ministers with the Fort Pierce Pastors Association have started talking with parents and caretakers of at-risk children. The 17 ministers are asking the adults what they need and to speak up if they see their children having problems.

POVERTY

--Per capita income is $15,473 in north Fort Pierce, where 22.5 percent of the residents live in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

--About 16 percent of households have incomes less than $10,000 annually.

--Improving the economy is a long-range goal that Lee and others say will take a concerted effort by businesses and government leaders.

LACK OF EDUCATION

--Educational advancement isn't as high a priority in this area of Fort Pierce as it is elsewhere. When there isn't strong leadership in families, then there's a lack of emphasis on the education needed to succeed in life, Lee said.

--An average of 70 percent of the residents in this area have a high school education, compared to 85 percent statewide.

--Education advocates point to raising aspirations, first beginning with families and with their becoming more involved in their children's education.

--Community leaders say there is a need for mentors to help children.

ANTI-GUNFIRE COMMUNITY MEETING

When: 5:30 to 7 p.m. Sept. 9

Where: Lincoln Park Academy auditorium, 1806 Avenue I, Fort Pierce.

Who: Organized by state Rep. Larry Lee, who grew up in the area, and other community leaders.

Why: To get people engaged in their community so they'll be encouraged to volunteer time to improve it. One need is for a leader to emerge in each city block. Another is for people with specialized backgrounds, such as former school employees or former law enforcement officers.

It's part of a movement to build ties between people and assistance programs so the socioeconomic issues underlying crime can be addressed.

What: Those who attend can get a special T-shirt with "Restoring the Village" on one side. The other side says, "I am committed. Pay it Forward Team Member." About 2,000 of the T-shirts are available, paid for with $5,000 in community donations, to help show that people are working together to help out.

What's happened so far: Law enforcement has increased its presence in the community, in part aimed at making those responsible for the gunfire feel more isolated.

--Police Chief R. Sean Baldwin and Sheriff Ken Mascara went door-to-door in neighborhoods in August to meet people and headed up a street cleanup.

--The Neighborhood Bible Church has adopted the area near it at Avenue D and 13th Street, said Pastor Walter Barron. It's a designated place residents can turn to for information.